Space Shuttle

The Space Shuttle, officially the Space Transportation System (STS) is an American-built space travel vehicle, designed to be capable of multiple flights. The shuttle was developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Missions on the shuttle last for up to two weeks, and carry five to seven astronauts. The shuttle is the first space vehicle designed to be reusable.[1]
The Space Shuttle system consists of three components,

Two reuseable solid rocket boosters which (and will provide the main launch vehicles under the new Ares Launch program that follows the shuttle) provide nearly 80% of the thrust at takeoff

The rust-colored External Tank, which feeds fuel to three Space Shuttle Orbiter Main Engines

The orbiter itself, of which there are 3 operational. The Orbiters are reused but are extensively refurbished after each flight.

The longest space shuttle mission was 17.5 days on mission STS-80 in November 1996. Normally, missions are planned for anywhere from five to sixteen days in duration. The smallest crew ever to fly on the Shuttle numbered two people on the first few missions. The largest crew numbered eight people. Normally, crews may range in size from five to seven people. The Shuttle is designed to reach orbits ranging from about 185 kilometers to 643 kilometers (115 statute miles to 400 statute miles) high.

NASA intends to close out the service life of the space shuttle program by completing work on the International Space Station by 2010, then switch over to the Orion class crew transport vehicle, using tried-and-true space capsule concepts from the 1960s which are designed to emphasize crew safety.

The Soviet Union worked on a space shuttle project as well known as the Buran program. The Buran program was canceled due to lack of funding and the declining political situation. The Buran shuttle was launched into orbit in an unmanned test flight that succeeded however it did not fly again. The shuttle was destroyed in 2002, when its hangar collapsed.

Named for the first ship commanded by British explorer Captain James Cook in 1768 [8]

May 7th, 1992

May 16, 2011

Retired

Awaiting museum

Tragedies

Sadly two space shuttles have been destroyed, killing all of the crew. Challenger was destroyed on ascent January 28, 1986 due to O-ring failure on one of the external main boosters, and Columbia disintegrated during re-entry on February 1, 2003, as a result of thermal tile loss to one of its wings.